Should You Book Gorilla Permits Before Booking Flights?

One of the questions that usually comes up when people are planning their gorilla safari to Uganda is whether they should book their gorilla permits before confirming their flights. It is often a tricky question, more so if someone is booking a safari that is a year ahead. Let’s walk through the process together and see what would actually be the best option.

Best Practice: Book Gorilla Permits Before Flights

The best practice would be to book gorilla trekking permits first and then look for flights that allow you to travel around the time you have reserved for the permits. Sometimes the reason people do not book flights in advance is because of an expectation in discounts at one point but this does not point in mind the fact that the gorilla trekking permits can sell out more so in the busy months of July, August, December and January.

What sometimes happens is; someone finds that there is availability else where but they have already booked flights and they cannot change their itinerary. The best practice is to book gorilla trekking permits before the flight however with a little beat of caution. If you are going to do the western Uganda circuit, ensure that the gorilla trekking is somewhere in the middle. Not at the beginning and not at the end.

This is will give you sometime for adjustments more so when your flight gets delayed for a day or two. In order not to have your trip affected, you should never schedule your gorilla trekking in a period of less than 3 days after arrival.

Book Flights First

If you intend to book flights first, I would only advise that if you are travelling in the low seasons or the months that are considered the transition months. For instance, if you are travelling in May, April, March, November and even October, you can afford to book your flights first and then plan your trip without any major issues. The main issue is often a sell out of gorilla trekking permits in the peak months which is rarely the case in the low season

However, even during the low season, the same rule should stand, do not put the gorilla trekking activity within two days of your arrival. Even when flights have not delayed, sometimes luggage goes missing, therefore giving yourself an allowance for all these issues will save you a lot of stress.

In conclusion, it is best to book the gorilla trekking permits before booking flights. It is also recommended to get an insurance package that covers gorilla trekking permits to compensate the reschedule fees that are inevitable in case of delayed flight and other times, the permits are simply cancelled without refund from Uganda wildlife Authority, therefore the insurance package you get should cover all these.

Are you planning a self drive gorilla safari this year, reach out to 4x4uganda Ltd to help you with the gorilla permit reservation, chimpanzee permit reservations, hotel reservations, airport transfers as well as itinerary planning. Some roads are still under construction, you might need up to date information to avoid unforeseen delays. You can contact us today via our email or Whatsapp.